Get to Know
Douglas Sylvester
“Venturing into healthcare innovation is not just an investment, it’s a commitment to shaping a healthier, brighter future for us.”
– Doug Sylvester
Bio
Doug recently ended more than a decade as one of the most innovative and successful law deans in the country. In his tenure as Dean of the College of Law at Arizona State University, Doug was responsible for an incredible rise in national rankings, increase in new programming, and massive increase in revenue. As a result, ASU is now a top-25 law school and is only the 3rd fully self-supporting public law school in the country.
In his nearly three decades in law, Doug has represented dozens of startup companies in various sectors, has launched the nation’s first Innovation Law Program (to support new ventures), taught at business schools around the country, and has been engaged as counsel, advisor, or founder of numerous startups. He brings his years of legal, educational, and entrepreneurial experience to the general partnership of Xcellerant Ventures and works hard to ensure our portfolio companies succeed.
Fundraising & Innovation Highlights
- Dean of ASU Law School
- Raised $90M+ over 10 years at ASU
- $15M single gift (largest to date), and 25 donations of $1M+
- Grew endowment fund by over 5x.
- Credited for increasing revenue from $14M to $50M+
- Winner “Phoenix Business More Admired Leader” (2020)
- Founded one of nation’s first Innovation and Entrepreneurship Legal Clinics (2003)
Meet the
Other GPs

John Shufeldt
General Partner

Chris Yoo
General Partner